Violin Wins For Two Saskatchewan Musicians

Two former Saskatonians have their hands on some very expensive instruments after winning them from the Canada Council for the Arts Instrument Bank. Carissa Klopoushak and Kerry Du-Wors each received a violin for a three-year term. Klopoushak, who now lives in Montreal, received an 1869 Jean-Baptiste Vuil-laume and Vuillaume model bow worth $212,000. It was her first time auditioning for competition and the timing was just right for her to apply. "I'm in a good place where an instrument like that would really make a boost, make a difference to me," she said Tuesday. Klopoushak likens playing the violin to getting behind the wheel of a really good car. You still need to know how to drive, but it allows you to do new and better things. Klopoushak is three months away from finishing her doctorate in violin at McGill University, with her final recital on Friday. She's already got big plans for the violin, which include touring the aforementioned recital, doing a tour of Atlantic Canada and returning to Saskatoon in December for Ritornello, a chamber music festival she helped found.